I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely - Chapter 244 - 222: Great Zhou Money Shop
“Master.”
Just after they left, Wu Yi walked over and asked, “Should we make a move?”
“No need.”
Xu Qing waved his hand. “There’s no need to waste our time and energy on such small fries. You should continue to investigate. It would be best if you could find out something about ’Law Stones’.”
’According to what Wang Mazi said, if Law Stones can aid the cultivation of experts in the Third Realm, they can most likely increase the speed at which I practice the Reincarnation Law, shortening the time needed.’
“Yes.”
“As you command.”
“…”
Wu Yi and the others nodded respectfully.
「Deep in the night.」
「At Xu Qing’s residence.」
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Suddenly, a number of ghostly figures appeared. There were quite a few of them, but they were all under control. This was clearly the work of the Brotherhood.
And so, these ghostly figures crept inside.
PFFT! PFFT!
The next moment, there was no need for Xu Qing to act at all. While he was inside meditating on the Devouring Demon Technique Second Secret Method, the nine Tier Sixteen Daoist Soldiers, along with the Ice Daoist Soldiers and Vajra Daoist Soldiers, were guarding the courtyard.
Among them, a Vajra Daoist Soldier took action. It merely glared, its powerful aura erupting, and directly annihilated the infiltrating ghostly figures with its presence alone.
“AHHH!!!”
「Not far away.」
「In a small alley.」
A young man let out a bloodcurdling scream before fainting on the spot.
“Lin Daniu, what’s wrong?”
Upon a closer look, the people in the alley were, of course, the same ones from that day.
The bald-headed young man’s expression changed.
“There’s… there’s an expert…”
PFFT!
The young man’s eyes widened. He spat out a mouthful of blood, having suffered a terrifying backlash. He only managed to say that one sentence before passing out cold.
“Damn it.”
The bald-headed young man looked resentful.
「The second day.」
「At night.」
This time, it wasn’t just ghostly figures that snuck in; several evil spirits were added to the mix. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t even get close before being annihilated by Xu Qing’s Daoist Soldiers.
「The third day.」
Powerful beings of Deceit had begun to appear.
「The fourth day.」
Even demons and fiends appeared.
「The fifth day.」
An Elder Level figure from the Brotherhood, having disguised his identity, snuck in directly. He was likewise suppressed by Xu Qing’s Daoist Soldiers and was slain on the spot.
「The sixth day.」
The Brotherhood was thoroughly alarmed.
「At noon on the sixth day.」
The Big Brother of the Brotherhood—their strongest expert who had reached the Ordinary Extraordinary Extreme—personally led his men to pay a visit.
「Inside the house.」
「In the courtyard.」
“Kneel!”
SMACK!
The Big Brother of the Brotherhood, a middle-aged man with a square face and light blond hair that faintly glowed with golden light, swung his right hand down in a slap.
The bald-headed young man was slapped so hard he was forced to his knees on the spot.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Xu Qing asked, puzzled.
“My friend.”
The Brotherhood’s Big Brother, Zhu Hong, took a deep breath and cupped his fists in a salute to Xu Qing. “Regarding this matter, the Brotherhood was indeed in the wrong. But this was all this bastard’s idea; it has nothing to do with the Brotherhood itself.”
“I’ve investigated the matter thoroughly and have brought him here specifically to apologize to you. Whether you want to kill him or torture him, it is entirely up to you.”
“What’s going on?”
Slightly stunned, Xu Qing looked at the Vajra Daoist Soldier standing beside him.
“Master.”
The Vajra Daoist Soldier said, “Over the past few days, a constant stream of ghostly figures, evil spirits, beings of Deceit, Demon Fiends, and even disguised human Martial Artists have tried to infiltrate, but we killed them all.”
“Because you were focused on your Cultivation, Master, and since those ghostly figures, evil spirits, beings of Deceit, Demon Fiends, and disguised human Martial Artists were all too weak, we didn’t report it to you.”
“So that’s what this is about?”
Xu Qing looked at Zhu Hong.
“…”
Zhu Hong froze, slightly stunned.
In fact, Zhu Hong felt immense pressure from the Vajra Daoist Soldier, which indicated that its power was formidable—perhaps not much weaker than his own.
However, a being not much weaker than himself was merely this person’s servant.
One could only imagine just how terrifying the man before him must be.
At this thought, an idea surfaced in Zhu Hong’s mind, something he had often heard about. In the Cangzhou Prefecture, there were some immensely powerful individuals who, due to the unique nature of their Pattern Technique cultivation and their own peculiar temperaments, would hide their identities and strength. They would move from the 7th Layer or above to live in the first three layers.
These experts called this practice: experiencing the mortal world.
Seeing the current situation, the person before him was very likely one of these great figures experiencing the mortal world.
Most importantly, he had actually run into one.
And, regardless of whether the man was truly a great figure experiencing the mortal world, the power he had displayed was not something the Brotherhood could easily handle.
Therefore, all he had to do was suck up to him as much as possible.
Thinking of this, Zhu Hong lowered his head, making his posture even more humble. Many people from the lower rungs had encountered these great figures who liked to experience the mortal world, and their fortunes had changed irrevocably. They had skyrocketed from the bottom to become new powerhouses themselves.
Therefore, Zhu Hong wanted to seize this opportunity as well.
Although such an opportunity was minuscule, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
“Why haven’t you kowtowed and admitted your mistake yet?”
Zhu Hong glared at the bald-headed young man kneeling on the ground and rebuked him in a low voice, “I told you from the beginning! The Brotherhood’s collection of protection fees is a matter of mutual consent. Yet you dared to cause trouble behind the scenes and even brought people to threaten him. You have some nerve!”
“I… I was wrong…”
The bald-headed young man was terrified.
“Sir, please pass your judgment.”
Zhu Hong said with cupped fists.
“Then kill him.”
Xu Qing’s tone was calm.
“…”
Zhu Hong was stunned for a moment.
“!!!”
The bald-headed young man’s eyes widened.
“Spare me! Spare my life!!”
He cried out.
At this moment, all of his initial arrogance was gone.
PFFT!
The Vajra Daoist Soldier raised its hand to strike, but Zhu Hong was a step faster. Acting personally, Zhu Hong slapped the bald-headed young man to death with a single blow.
“Sir, matters like cleaning house are something I can handle. There’s no need for you or your subordinate to act.”
Zhu Hong said with a bow.
“…”
The Vajra Daoist Soldier silently retracted its hand.
“Fine.”
Xu Qing said nothing more.
“Sir.”
Zhu Hong’s eyes glinted as he continued, “Although the Brotherhood I lead isn’t a major power, we have some influence on Lin Yun Street. Sir, if there is anything you need me to take care of, you can just tell me. I will do my utmost to handle it for you.”
“I’m not some great figure, just an ordinary person.”
Xu Qing said, “You don’t need to act like this.”
“Understood, understood.”
Zhu Hong nodded quickly, his face plastered with a sycophantic smile.
Clearly, Zhu Hong had misunderstood something.
Xu Qing shrugged.
’Let him misunderstand,’ he thought. ’It has nothing to do with me anyway.’
“You can go back now.”
Xu Qing waved his hand dismissively.
“Yes.”
Zhu Hong prepared to turn and leave.
“Oh, right.”
Xu Qing thought of something and asked, “Do you know anything about ’Law Stones’?”
“Law Stones.”
Zhu Hong paused, a look of astonishment on his face. “I… I know a little. May I ask why you are inquiring about ’Law Stones,’ Sir?”
“You know?”
Xu Qing’s eyes lit up slightly. “Since you know, then tell me everything you know.”
“Of course.”
Zhu Hong nodded.
In truth, Zhu Hong was a little confused. ’In Cangzhou Prefecture, the currency for transactions on the first to third layers is mostly silver and gold. On the fourth to sixth layers, the currency used is Primordial Stones.’
’Starting from the 7th Layer, the currency used is Law Stones. As far as I’m concerned, a great figure like him should know more about Law Stones than I do.’
But Zhu Hong didn’t dare to ask any more questions.
“Sir, I actually don’t know much myself.”
Zhu Hong continued, “’Law Stones’ are a type of currency, just a much higher-grade one. They generally circulate among experts of the ’Third Realm’.”
“Here in Cangzhou Prefecture, below the 7th Layer, you’ll rarely see ’Law Stones’. Most transactions are done with Primordial Stones, gold, and silver.”
“However.”
“’Law Stones’ contain the power of the laws that govern the heavens and the earth. They are nurtured by nature itself, and like Primordial Stones, they can form special ’ore veins’.”
“Generally speaking.”
“After a Law Stone Ore Vein forms, a special Law Realm will take shape around it, generating its own unique operating laws. Only experts who have stepped into the Third Realm can enter it.”
“At that point,”
“as long as one can break the operating laws of the Law Stone Ore Vein, the Law Stones can be mined. But the ore vein is filled with the formless Power of Law, and only a being who has entered the Third Realm can resist this power.”
“However,”
“how could a being who has entered the Third Realm possibly do such lowly work as a Miner? Thus, a certain profession was born: the ’Law Slave’.”
“These ’Law Slaves’ spend their years mining Law Stones within the ore veins. Their bodies are gradually eroded by the Law, and the longest any of them live is no more than ten years. In the end, they either mutate into beings of Deceit or are executed and destroyed beforehand.”
“Also,”
“the different currencies can be exchanged.”
“Gold and silver can be exchanged for Primordial Stones, and Primordial Stones can be exchanged for Law Stones. It’s just that the exchange rates between the three are quite exaggerated.”
“Where can I exchange Primordial Stones for Law Stones?”
Xu Qing asked.
“You can make the exchange at the ’Great Zhou Money Shop’ in the first ring of the first layer.”
Zhu Hong replied.
